FACACLASSIC

Note: An Annual Comprehensive Review, as required by §7 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, is conducted each year on committee data entered for the previous fiscal year (referred to as the reporting year). The data for the reporting year is not considered verified until this review is complete and the data is moved to history for an agency/department. See the Data From Previous Years section at the bottom of this page for the committee’s historical, verified data.

Details on agency responses to committee recommendations can be found under the Performance Measures section for each committee in the fields “Agency Feedback” and “Agency Feedback Comment.”

EPA - 2010 - Environmental Laboratory Advisory Board - Agency Authority

GENERAL INFORMATION

Committee Name	Environmental Laboratory Advisory Board	Agency Name	Environmental Protection Agency
Fiscal Year	2019	Committee Number	2010
Original Establishment Date	4/21/1995	Committee Status	Terminated
Actual Termination Date	7/10/2019	Committee URL	https://www.epa.gov/measurements-modeling/envir...
Actual Merged Date		Presidential Appointments*	No
New Committee This FY	No	Max Number of Members*	15
Terminated This FY	Yes	Designated Fed Officer Position Title*	Physical Scientist
Merged This FY		Designated Federal Officer Prefix	Mr.
Current Charter Date	7/10/2017	Designated Federal Officer First Name*	Thomas
Date Of Renewal Charter	7/10/2019	Designated Federal Officer Middle Name	J.
Projected Termination Date	7/10/2019	Designated Federal Officer Last Name*	O'Farrell
Exempt From Renewal*	No	Designated Federal Officer Suffix	Ph.D.
Specific Termination Authority	EO 13875	Designated Federal Officer Phone*	202-564-8451
Establishment Authority*	Agency Authority	Designated Federal Officer Fax*	NA
Specific Establishment Authority*	Request for Approval	Designated Federal Officer Email*	ofarrell.thomas@epa.gov
Effective Date Of Authority*	4/21/1995
Exempt From EO 13875 Discretionary Cmte	Not Applicable
Committee Type*
Presidential*	No
Committee Function*	Scientific Technical Program Advisory Board

RECOMMENDATION/JUSTIFICATIONS

Agency Recommendation*	Terminate
Legislation to Terminate Required	No
Legislation Status	Not Applicable
How does cmte accomplish its purpose?*	Task groups in each topical area meet to more efficiently gather information for the full Board to discuss in order to be more effective in offering opinions to the Agency based on more detailed information. Comments and recommendations were solicited at each of the ELAB public meetings enabling future consensus advice to be given to the EPA Science Advisor for the Office of the Science Advisor. ELAB accomplishes the purpose of providing advice and counsel to the EPA Administrator by making critical recommendations on enhancing EPA's measurement programs and facilitating the development, establishment, and operation of a national environmental laboratory accreditation program. FY 2019 topics included, among others: selected ion monitoring; user-generated library acceptance criteria; laboratory involvement in the quality assurance plan development process; drinking water method approvals; and whole effluent toxicity performance study requirements.
How is membership balanced?*	Diverse interests relative to the accreditation of environmental laboratories are represented in ELAB: Chemical industry societies, environmental laboratories, tribal government, and state and local government. Each of these groups are a potential user of accredited laboratories or the data produced thereof. Members from analytical laboratories are representative of varied businesses analyzing environmental samples. Representatives of tribal governments and local government represent users of this data. Representatives of chemical industry organizations represent societies that give oversight of environmental laboratories. Members are geographically located across the United States and from different community sectors (e.g., academia, government, laboratories, private), as well.
How frequent & relevant are cmte mtgs?*	In FY 19, ELAB held 9 open meetings. Generally, ELAB meets a minimum of 2 times per year face-to-face and has monthly teleconferences as well. The ELAB face-to-face meetings are scheduled to coincide with other conferences to facilitate greater participation from an applicable audience: The NELAC Institute (TNI) interim and annual conference. Monthly teleconferences allow ELAB to focus on key issues and distribute work within the membership to seek additional input if necessary prior to the overall Board making final recommendations to the Agency.
Why advice can't be obtained elsewhere?*	ELAB advises EPA. ELAB's charter covers the areas that are very important to activities relating to data integrity and homeland security that are current and important topics within the Agency that could benefit greatly from a unified voice of the private sector, and local and tribal governments. With the expansion of the charter for ELAB, the Board also provides advice on enhancing EPA's measurement programs. As the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAC) has become self-sufficient in the formation of a nonprofit organization, of which ELAB was critical to providing the Agency with the private sector viewpoint when it was managed internally, the focus has switched to ensuring the Agency is supportive of national accreditation and doing our part to participate. The private sector viewpoint is critical to making sure EPA is not only aware of opportunities, but participating in a way that is publically recognized.
Why close or partially close meetings?	No meetings were closed to the public.
Recommendation Remarks	All members are Tier 1 (parent committee members). There are no Tier 2 (subcommittee) members serving. Committee did not renew charter and in response to to EO 13875 committee was terminated.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Outcome Improvement To Health Or Safety*	Yes	Action Reorganize Priorities*	Yes
Outcome Trust In Government	Yes	Action Reallocate Resources	No
Outcome Major Policy Changes	No	Action Issued New Regulations	No
Outcome Advance In Scientific Research	Yes	Action Proposed Legislation	No
Outcome Effective Grant Making	No	Action Approved Grants Or Other Payments	No
Outcome Improved Service Delivery	Yes	Action Other	Yes
Outcome Increased Customer Satisfaction	Yes	Action Comment	The Agency has worked together a lot more within laboratory and measurement science areas, as a result of requests and recommendations by the Board for Agency consistency.
Outcome Implement Laws/Reg Requirements	No	Grants Review*	No
Outcome Other	No	Number Of Grants Reviewed	0
Outcome Comment	NA	Number Of Grants Recommended	0
Cost Savings*	Unable to Determine	Dollar Value Of Grants Recommended	$0.00
Cost Savings Comment	The advice of this committee that would otherwise come to the Agency in the form of adverse action and/or from paying consulting fees is the initial savings. However, the recommendations of this Board that almost always recommends unity across the various program offices are all duplicative costs that could be avoided and in some cases have been avoided by taking a unified approach in tackling a problem together (one fee) versus separately (multiple fees, differing by approach per program).	Grants Review Comment	There were no new packages for review in FY 2019.
Number Of Recommendations*	25	Access Contact Designated Fed. Officer*	Yes
Number Of Recommendations Comment	The Board issued 3 advice letters in FY 2019. Although the Board makes formal presentations during the two face-to-face meetings as a mechanism of sharing further detail and information on the topics vetted, all recommendation letters are sent to their decision maker and also to relevant Offices in EPA.	Access Agency Website	Yes
% of Recs Fully Implemented*	1.00%	Access Committee Website	Yes
% of Recs Fully Implemented Comment	See below	Access GSA FACA Website	No
% of Recs Partially Implemented*	8.00%	Access Publications	No
% of Recs Partially Implemented Comment	Most of the recommendations submitted by ELAB in FY 2019 were not implemented as the Agency clarified that it was effectively already implementing ELAB's recommended actions.	Access Other	No
Agency Feedback*	Yes	Access Comment	The Agency and the ELAB website are both managed by the Agency with ELAB having there own section.
Agency Feedback Comment*	The decision maker has always provided the Board with a response to any of their thoughts and/or recommendations via letters. When recommendation letters are submitted to EPA, they are analyzed by the Office of Science Advisor and then sent to relevant Offices in EPA to provide a response. The responses are then combined and then submitted as one collective response to ELAB through the decision maker.	Narrative Description*	The ELAB addresses EPA Strategic Goal 1, Objective 1.2: Provide for Clean and Safe Water. 2019 ELAB topics included selected ion monitoring; user-generated library acceptance criteria; laboratory involvement in the quality assurance plan development process; drinking water method approvals; and whole effluent toxicity performance study requirements. Work groups and now task groups meet to more efficiently gather information for the full Board to discuss in order to be more effective in offering opinions to the Agency based on more detailed information. Comments and recommendations were solicited at each of the ELAB public meetings enabling future consensus advice to be given to the EPA Science Advisor for the Office of the Science Advisor. ELAB accomplishes the purpose of providing advice and counsel to the EPA Administrator by making critical recommendations on enhancing EPA's measurement programs and facilitating the development, establishment, and operation of a national environmental laboratory accreditation program. Committee terminated in response to EO 13875.

COSTS

1. Payments to Non-Federal Members*	$0.00	1. Est Paymnts to Non-Fed Membrs Nxt FY*	$0.00
2. Payments to Federal Members*	$0.00	2. Est. Payments to Fed Members Next FY*	$0.00
3. Payments to Federal Staff*	$47,507.00	3. Estimated Payments to Federal Staff*	$0.00
4. Payments to Consultants*	$0.00	4. Est. Payments to Consultants Next FY*	$0.00
5. Travel Reimb. For Non-Federal Membrs*	$0.00	5. Est Travel Reimb Non-Fed Membr nxtFY*	$0.00
6. Travel Reimb. For Federal Members*	$0.00	6. Est Travel Reimb For Fed Members*	$0.00
7. Travel Reimb. For Federal Staff*	$0.00	7. Est. Travel Reimb to Fed Staf Nxt FY*	$0.00
8. Travel Reimb. For Consultants*	$0.00	8. Est Travel Reimb to Consltnts Nxt FY*	$0.00
10. Other Costs	$0.00	10. Est. Other Costs Next FY*	$0.00
11. Total Costs	$47,507.00	11. Est. Total Next FY*	$0.00
Date Cost Last Modified		Est. Fed Staff Support Next FY*	0.00
Federal Staff Support (FTE)*	0.30	Est Cost Remarks
Cost Remarks

Interest Areas

Category Area Basic Science Basic Sciences Data Data Integrity Environment Environmental Issues Legislation Rulemaking

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